Why We Do What We Do

There are certain gifts expected for specific anniversary traditions. What may have started out as genuine support eventually blossomed into a practice guide and capitalist boondoggle. Plus, we found some bizarre and fascinating trends along the way. Four more years, four more years!

Links for Today:

https://www.thespruce.com/history-of-wedding-anniversary-gift-lists-2302036

https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/cultural-traditions/traditional-anniversary-gifts.htm

https://www.welsh-lovespoons.co.uk/

https://bgeventsandcatering.com/a-breakdown-of-traditional-anniversary-colors/

https://www.brides.com/wedding-coins-5077506

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Genotype by Genius Games (https://www.geniusgames.org/products/genotype-a-mendelian-genetics-game)

Shane: Introduce your young kids to power metal

Alan: Remember your anniversary!

Salena: Be creative with your own traditions, make your own.

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Emotional marketing is a strategy that has been deeply incorporated into campaigns to solicit donations, sell products, gain brand loyalty, and other uses for decades. Finding successful methods to persuade people to buy into a product or an idea has been around since ancient times. Whether with familiar faces, hard facts, or clever stimuli, advertising experts play into our very predictable behavior given ad campaign characteristics. If you think you’re impervious to donating money, buying new sneakers, or one-click buying that flight to Hawaii, you’re most definitely no match for the emotional appeals of the greatest advertising giants out there. They’re around every corner and every click, just waiting to control your behavior.

Links for Today:

https://www.nickkolenda.com/emotional-marketing/#what-is-emotion

https://www.spiralytics.com/blog/emotional-marketing-what-it-is-and-how-it-works/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/12/04/13-examples-of-effective-emotional-marketing-and-what-your-business-can-learn-from-them/?sh=ce0f810303b1

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/emotion-marketing#:~:text=Emotional%20marketing%20refers%20to%20marketing%2Cto%20elicit%20a%20consumer%20response

https://www.nickkolenda.com/

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Cooties (Movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2490326/)

Shane: Sharks Keep Moving (band)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Emotional marketing is a strategy that has been deeply incorporated into campaigns to solicit donations, sell products, gain brand loyalty, and other uses for decades. Finding successful methods to persuade people to buy into a product or an idea has been around since ancient times. Whether with familiar faces, hard facts, or clever stimuli, advertising experts play into our very predictable behavior given ad campaign characteristics. If you think you’re impervious to donating money, buying new sneakers, or one-click buying that flight to Hawaii, you’re most definitely no match for the emotional appeals of the greatest advertising giants out there. They’re around every corner and every click, just waiting to control your behavior.

Links for Today:

https://www.nickkolenda.com/emotional-marketing/#what-is-emotion

https://www.spiralytics.com/blog/emotional-marketing-what-it-is-and-how-it-works/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/12/04/13-examples-of-effective-emotional-marketing-and-what-your-business-can-learn-from-them/?sh=ce0f810303b1

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/emotion-marketing#:~:text=Emotional%20marketing%20refers%20to%20marketing%2Cto%20elicit%20a%20consumer%20response

https://www.nickkolenda.com/

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Cooties (Movie; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2490326/)

Shane: Sharks Keep Moving (band)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

We are dipping our toes into the bio-cast style of discussions. What do you know about the scientist behind the classic(cal) experiment with teaching dogs to salivate to a bell? Starting out as a religious man, Pavlov eventually made is way to science. From there, he worked in biology, only accidentally contributing one of the most ground-breaking studies of all time to psychology.

Links for Today:

Original Footage of Pavlov w/ Dogs….brought to you by Philip Zimbardo

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1904/pavlov/biographical/

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/24/drool

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bhpavl.html

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/eventindex.html

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: John Oliver (https://www.hbo.com/last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver)

Shane: Winter Park Biscuit Company (https://www.winterparkbiscuitco.com/menu)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

This is an exploration of the "psychology" of the circumstances that lead to the decision to cannibalize others to survive. This large group of ambitious, largely white emigrants made several ill-informed decisions that put them several months behind schedule to reach their destination. Their delay had them stranded in an inescapable snowstorm in already nearly impassable terrain. The rest, as they say, is history.

Links for Today:

https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0CzxWpBueNqLVuH1g_gUF58HQ#Journal_Article_on_Historical_Evidence

https://www.etymonline.com/word/cannibal#etymonline_v_667 (Etymology of “cannibal”)

https://www.jstor.org/stable/25612556?seq=1 (Article on how “cannibal” was a political term)

https://www.amazon.com/Emigrants-Oregon-California-Lansford-Hastings/dp/1557092451 (The Huckster’s Guide to an Early Death)

https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/0Ga06vDZkvoQqEiYMMt7YVpdg#Mexicans_in_the_California_Mines,_1848-53

https://www.timothysnyder.org/books/bloodlands

https://www.babymed.com/info/eating-placenta-placentophagia (Discussion on whether eating placentas is cannibalism)

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/eating-placentas-cannibalism-recycling-or-health-food/ (Skeptical critique of placenta eating)

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17095605 (BBC Article on starvation)

Donnar Museum

Cookbook

VOX Article on Cannibalism

NPR Article: When People Ate People, A Strange Disease Emerged

2009 Movie on the Donnar Party (looks terrible lol)

Other movies that depict Cannibalism

Donnar Party Memorial site

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Ike’s Love and Sandwiches (http://www.loveandsandwiches.com/locations/)

Shane: Black Card by Chris L. Terry (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-card-chris-l-terry/1130028044)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Coined by psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1920, “The Halo Effect” helps us explain how a strong first impression or perceived relation among characteristics leads us to view other individuals as more perfect than they may be. Similarly, the “horns effect” works inversely, allowing for one negative characteristic to sour an overall impression of someone. Together, these terms help explain how biases form, whether influenced by past experience or cultural traditions. While we are all victims of our circumstances, we can always make an active attempt at finding ways to reduce our bias in many contexts including education, the workplace, relationship, and business. Developing objective ways of measuring one’s behavior or potential will be key to fostering an environment that lifts people up for only their best characteristics.

Links for Today:

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-halo-effect-2795906

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/intentional-insights/201908/are-you-falling-unconscious-bias

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/halo-effect#:~:text=The%20halo%20effect%20is%20a,the%20individual%20as%20a%20whole.&text=For%20example%2C%20an%20attractive%20individual,not%20that%20assessment%20is%20warranted

https://youtu.be/T_SN4FouFn8

https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/jopy.12546

https://www.healthline.com/health/halo-effect#medicine

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-halo-effect-workplace-11522.html

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: “Damn” by Kendrick Lamar (https://open.spotify.com/album/4eLPsYPBmXABThSJ821sqY?autoplay=true)

Shane: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Science doesn't really know why sleepwalking occurs. We know it has something to do with certain parts of our brain. What we understand about psychology implies that there is essentially reduced cognitive capacity while still interacting effectively with one's environment. We also bust some myths about sleepwalking.

Links for Today:

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/parasomnias/sleepwalking

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Amber Ruffin Show (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxej9nPf6TqFyfsiez1_P3w)

Shane: Animorphs (https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/book-lists-and-recommendations/series-characters-authors/animorphs-series.html)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

In just the last couple of decades, people have started anonymously donated organs to strangers. In this episode, we tell the story of two people who decided to donate their organs to someone they had never met or had just barely met. Why would someone do this? We explain the psychology of anonymous organ donors, why living donors are so important, and the process of donating organs.

Links for Today:

https://transplant.keckmedicine.org/anonymous-living-organ-donor-meets-the-woman-whose-life-he-saved/ (Story of Breanna and Damien)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5349629/ (Peer-reviewed article weighing the risks/benefits of donation)

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/lengthy_daisy_chain_transplants_possible_from_one_altruistic_donor_kidney (Description of a “daisy chain” of organ donation)

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/transplant/patient_information/patient_stories/kidney-donation-dylan-story.html (Story about an anonymous kidney donor)

https://www.americantransplantfoundation.org/about-transplant/facts-and-myths/#:~:text=Almost%20114%2C000%20people%20in%20the,of%20available%20organs%20for%20transplant. (Statistics about organ donations)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DYhJgQkQw4 (Story of Grant and Shelley)

https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/resources/ethics/living-non-directed-organ-donation/#:~:text=The%20recipient%20should%20not%20receive,disclosure%20of%20the%20candidate's%20identity (descriptions and definition of categories of donation)

https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/ (data on non-directed organ donations)

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations


- Abraham: Strawberry’s Wake (Music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTJWY2w31cU) Afterburner by Dance Gavin Dance (https://www.dancegavindanceband.com/)
- Shane: Cloudkicker - Solitude (https://cloudkicker.bandcamp.com/album/solitude)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

Are you one of those people who has trouble falling or staying asleep? There are things you might be doing to make it worse. Tossing and turning, the snooze button, and sleeping in are but a few of the things you can do to ensure that your sleep is wrecked. We'll count them down. In addition, we cover the world record for staying awake, and why sleep is important. We will either help you stay awake or help you fall asleep. Up to you!

Links for Today:

https://www.sleepadvisor.org/bad-sleeping-habits/

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/

https://www.livescience.com/54507-sleep-surprising-findings.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/8-sleep-mistakes-you-can-fix-tonight-ncna802966

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data_statistics.html

Guillodo E, Lemey C, Simonnet M, Walter M, Baca-García E, Masetti V, Moga S, Larsen M, HUGOPSY Network , Ropars J, Berrouiguet S (2020). Clinical Applications of Mobile Health Wearable–Based Sleep Monitoring: Systematic Review JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 8(4):e10733. URL: https://mhealth.jmir.org/2020/4/e10733 DOI: 10.2196/10733

Pankhurst FP, Horne JA. The influence of bed partners on movement during sleep. Sleep. 1994 Jun;17(4):308-15. doi: 10.1093/sleep/17.4.308. PMID: 7973313.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/white-noise#:~:text=Studies%20suggest%20a%20white%20noise,6%20fall%20asleep%20more%20quickly.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180118-the-boy-who-stayed-awake-for-11-days

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Abraham: Photosynthesis (game: https://www.blueorangegames.com/index.php/games/photosynthesis)

Shane: Sleep, the sciences (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdk5yuLvRCA)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast

What do our old friend Stu Law, our writers, Ryan O'Donnell, Matt Cicoria of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, Salena Schilling, and our composer have in common? They are all guests on our 200th episode variety show celebration extravaganza. Join us for trivia, fun, and jokes!

Links for Today:

https://www.thedailyba.com/

https://behavioralobservations.com/

listennotes.com/podcasts/marriage-and-movies-terry-salena-schilling-8oa7wIs3txA/

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations

Check out the project of our guests!

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/why-we-do-what-we-do--3419521/support.

Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast